Canal and Marina in Hebden Bridge, England (123RF)
I recently had the pleasure to interview Joanne E.C. Smith a local resident and small business owner of Hebden Bridge, England. I met her at the Rhine Ordnance Barracks Summer Bazaar, where, to my delight, she was selling a gluten-free chocolate steamed Yorkshire pudding, and delicious pasta sauces. I bought the Little Box Kitchen Vodka sauce that her husband makes, which was cheddar-based rather than parmesan and the gluten-free chocolate steamed pudding. They did not disappoint.
We got into a conversation about Hebden Bridge which sounded like a magical corner of the world, and I knew I wanted to find out more. As we sat and chatted it became apparent that Hebden Bridge had an abundance to offer and be a great U.K. destination to visit.
“Hebden Bridge is a market town that in North Yorkshire that sits along a canal. In 2005 British Airways deemed it as the “Funkiest Town in the World.” It is also affectionately referred to as the “Lesbian Capital of the North.” ”
Rochdale Canal, Hebden Bridge (Tim Green, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Joanne and her husband have lived in Hebden Bridge for nine years. Stating, “I’m a Yorkshire lass at heart,” she emphasized her love for the beauty, inclusivity and quirkiness of the town. To begin the interview, I asked Joanne “what makes Hebden Bridge so special?”
“It’s a place of outstanding natural beauty in a rugged kind of way. It’s nestled in a valley which is green and virgin and beautiful and then the heart of the town the architecture stems from the Industrial Revolution. It has real working-class roots,” she replied.”
Another name Hebden Bridge goes by is “Trouser Town” because of the history surrounding trouser manufacturing in the mills, which are now gone. Now, it is a place that celebrates nature and the environment. It is home to Kingfishers, mink, deer, and lots of local wildlife.
Joanne exclaimed, “In the day I think it would have been pretty industrial and gritty, and not a place for a lady to go if you were on ‘Bridgerton.’” She says Hebden Bridge is a place of immense inclusivity with many diverse people and a “place that just feels good. A place where you can be walking along the canal with your dog, and someone will say hello to you or good morning.”
Aerial view of the town of Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire in summer (123RF)
I then asked Joanne where she would take her friends and family if they were visiting for the first time. She told me that walks along the canal and visiting Gibson Mill, which has steppingstones, a beautiful forest and a pond were two places she’d love for people to see. She also shared, “You can’t come up to Yorkshire and not go for a pub meal somewhere and have a Sunday big roast beef dinner.” Her niece, who lives in Scotland, comes back for Yorkshire pudding and fish and chips.
Joanne told me, they do something a little bit different in Yorkshire. They cook their fish in beef fat and, her niece specifically likes “the little bits of batter that come off the fish called ‘scraps.’ You can have fish and chips with extra scraps, so you get all the extra bits of crunchy batter.”
Because Hebden Bridge is small and tucked away, the town has retained independent shop owners. Most of the shops and restaurants are local and unique. Joanne particularly likes the Marsh Top Farm Shop where they sell “the best bacon buttie sandwich.” The pigs are raised lovingly on the farm.
A few other things that make Hebden Bridge so unique is that they have a massive art community with open studios twice a year. Kate Lycett is a well-known local artist. There is an annual Handmade Parade where everyone parades around town in handmade costumes. There are no shortages of art galleries or theatres. Quite a few shows have been filmed in the area including “Gentlemen Jack,” “Happy Valley,” and scenes for Marvel’s, “Secret Invasion.”
In the Summer of 2015, a piece of homophobic graffiti art was seen in the town of Hebden Bridge. Amazingly, the community came together to create Happy Valley Pride and agreed on the mission:
“To celebrate LGBTQ+ life in Hebden Bridge and surrounding areas. Promoting equality and diversity to eradicate discrimination, based on sexual orientation and gender identity, through arts, education and engagement.”
It’s pretty special when an entire community can take something negative and use it to rise up and create not only a safe space for everyone but also a fun and vibrant outlet. I asked Joanne, as a local resident, what her experience of seeing these positive changes over the years has been. She emphasized the positive influences Happy Valley Pride has had on Hebden Bridge through community engagement and the annual celebration of Pride Week. The organization has made a hugely positive impact on the community as a whole.
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England - August 11 2018: a person with pink hair on stilts and people dancing at the Happy Valley Pride event in Hebden Bridge (123RF)
Happy Valley Pride Week is an exciting event each summer that celebrates the LBGQT+ community and brings many of the residents together. For 2024, the festival will take place July 22-28th. There will be events such as, cabaret shows, a special movie screening of “Desert Hearts” at Hebden Bridge Picture House, a youth art exhibition and even a Teatime Disco.
Joanne lit up as she told me about Pride Week and how all the shops show support through bright, colorful window displays and decorations. She emphasized “Pride Week is for everyone.” There are lots of shows and events such as a fancy best-dressed dog day, and the event ends with “a Big Day Out,” a massive park workshop and big family picnic that brings everyone together. Throughout the year, Happy Valley Pride hosts workshops and events for the entire community. For more information, visit Happyvalleypride.co.uk.
Joanne wanted to highlight another great example of the town’s accepting and welcoming nature. The Hebden Bridge Picture House is one of few cinemas in the UK owned by the council allowing it to host special screenings. For example, there was a showing of “Singing in the Rain” which was dementia-friendly, they have autism-friendly screenings where the lights are dimmed and the volume is kept at a lower level, as well as parent/child-friendly showings where it’s a judgment-free space to tend to a crying child. The cinema works together with organizations like Happy Valley Pride to create an engaging and inclusive space for all.
To end the interview, I asked Joanne a bit more about her business The Little Box Kitchen and how it came to be.
Golden syrup Yorkshire sticky pudding (123RF)
“Steamed pudding is a tradition that’s dying,” she lamented. “Before ovens, people would steam pudding on the stove over water.” It takes her four hours to make the puddings, “they steam up the whole kitchen and you can’t move away in case the pan runs dry.” She also noted her costumers favorite flavors, “In the U.K. the most popular flavors are the British golden syrup, ginger, or jam ones because that’s what people grew up on. In Germany it’s chocolate.”
She uses local ingredients, and since she began selling at American military community bazaar’s, she has tweaked her recipe to include a pumpkin spice flavor. It uses American pumpkin spice flavor and British golden syrup. The pasta sauces her husband makes are also simmered on a slow heat and made with fresh, local ingredients. I could tell by the way Joanne spoke that she takes a lot of pride in what she does. She said she makes a product she believes in exclaiming, “I sell a happy product!”
Lastly, I asked if Joanne had any advice for those seeking to open a small business. Her advice,
“Do it. But expect to work really hard. Believe in your product, be open to other opportunities, take on advice, listen to other people, but go for it.”
Whether you visit for the rich history, welcoming environment, peaceful nature walks, art, Happy Valley Pride or Joanne’s steamed puddings, there is always something going on in Hebden Bridge. The whole town celebrates and embraces a deep human connection.
